Legend of the Saurians
by Raptorian
Summary: For the first time ever, we get to see the origin of the creatures that came to be known in the world of Mortal Kombat as the Saurians. This pretty much my version of how they came to be. I hope you enjoy it.


**This is my first fanfiction and also my first Mortal Kombat story. So please leave comments on what you think. **

**(I don't own anything Mortal Kombat or any of its characters.) **

* * *

For as long as he can remember, Reptile has battled many foes on Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn's side in the Forces of Darkness of Outworld, hoping they will resurrect and revive his kind, the Saurians; a species of humanoid/reptilian "raptors" who thrived in a long-forgotten, but once beautiful and swampy wilderness known as Zaterra, which is now annexed and destroyed by Shao Kahn and his forces of Outworld.

Throughout his entire life, Reptile has protected and hunted down traitors for Shang Tsung by any means necessary, hoping he will bring back his reptilian race to its former glory in return for his awarded servitude. Unknown to him though is that it was him and Shao Kahn who destroyed and enslaved Reptile's people, and for years he has become frustrated and eventually insane, unable to realize who is to blame for this great loss.

Another thing that is lost in his mind, and probably doesn't even know, is how the Saurians came to be. In his youth, he was told that the Saurians have long thrived since the age of the dinosaurs, and that his species was chosen to become smarter, stronger, and vigilant to create their own culture, society, and government.

That mystery becomes a reality as the real history and legacy of Reptile and the Saurians is unfolded for the first time.

* * *

One of many aspects to the Saurians' origins can be found within the scientific facilities of the US government, which is also notably the brainchild of the Special Forces. The military wanted more firepower in their ranks, and as such scientists within the government went to extreme lengths to achieve this. Their first idea was to create super soldiers, and this was mostly promising, if not for some side effects.

One of these brilliant minds, Dr. Shane, would risk anything for his experiments to be successful. Unknown to everyone, though, is that he is the powerful sorcerer Shang Tsung, who took the mind and soul of another scientist to disguise himself and blend in with government so that he can perform his twisted and unnatural expertise in the lab without being noticed.

Tsung not only wanted to create powerful warriors, but also increase the eventual power of Shao Kahn's army in Outworld. If he wasn't successful, he would pay a grim price. He didn't have much fear in doing this; he could think of multiple ways to create soldiers by picking the right tools. He had done this kind a few times in the Flesh Pits from experimenting on Tarakatan blood, creating horrific and sometimes satisfying abominations.

What he currently had in mind was quite honestly a definite and interesting challenge.

A few months ago, a group of paleontologists were digging up fossils in Montana in a digging site called "Hell Creek" when they found a mummified creature which resembled the same ones that were found around a few other places. They instantly discovered that the dead creature sealed inside was a Deinonychus, a dinosaur that was a swift hunter and was very intelligent. Its most notable feature was that it had retractable claws on its feet for killing prey.

Luckily for Shang Tsung, he didn't have much trouble in taking a good look himself. Disguising himself as a tourist, he snuck into the university where the mummy was hidden and discovered something very extraordinary; besides having preserved skin and organs, it also had a tiny spec of DNA, which would be something he could use in the future. Using his sorcery magic, he removed the tiny spec of blood from the mummy and sealed it in a bottle, leaving the mummy for the scientist to never know what recently happened.

A few months later, it was the perfect time for the evil sorcerer to see what the dinosaur's blood could hold; an unbeatable army of beasts that could crumble Earthrealm into dust, and _he_ could be spared his life for centuries. He knew he had no time to waste as he began what the government demanded, which would be something that they would be unprepared for. He would make something that will eventually shape the events of Earthrealm's fate.

The process took agonizing months, but before he knew it, "Dr. Shane" had discovered he created something revolutionary; a new genome of Raptors that could rise above all else and destroy the US government, to create a world they could call their home. Shang Tsung would later realize that his discovery and creation was far better than he had expected.

In a heated turn of events, the new raptors would realize they were being used and captivated and would later think of a way to escape with their more complex minds. In a stroke of time, they finally broke out, destroying everything; every file, every record, and every experiment contained in the labs.

Shang Tsung knew this wouldn't be something he will put up with his master. With a little help from another sorcerer, he constructed an invisible time portal in the way of the raptor's only open escape. As they went through, the raptors were back to where their ancestors were, the Cretaceous Period.

* * *

Overtime, the raptors began to live in a secret society, hidden away from the open wilderness where most of the other animals lived. They made what they called their own utopia in dense forests, developing their culture, history, tradition, architecture and science. They lived in their own villages high in the trees and raise their young and play with their family and friends. They were guided by their Matriarch, who would determine her rightful mates to breed with, and raise the village's young, but she was very passionate about it, as well as every other member of their village.

A very unique thing about these creatures was their passion for nature; they deeply respected their environment, its ecosystems, and its magnificence. They had no problem following the laws of nature, which was why they had a matriarch. On a daily basis they would go hunting for creatures that lived in the forests, but did not threaten to destroy an entire species for food. They didn't believe they were superior to every other living thing, they thought they were equal with them, and most often they were right.

The Saurians were a very happy people. They had a sense of responsibility, respect, and independence. They lived in one of the prosperous ages of time in history. Without a doubt they became the very thing that humans in the present depicted as extremely intelligent beings that could be compared to their relatives like birds. They had a loving matriarch to guide them and teach them, and they would later use what they learned to protect themselves, but it wouldn't be enough to prepare them for what will happen, which will lead them to their near extinction.

Around the end of the cretaceous period, a war raged between powerful beings that came to be known in other worlds' writings as the Elder Gods. It was in Earthrealm that two prominent figures fought for the safety/destruction of this world; Raiden, a thunder god who sought to protect Earthrealm, and Shinnok, a former god who turned against his brethren to become the master of the realms by possessing Earthrealm. This long-lasting battle would later cause many casualties to the plants and animals living in Earthrealm, even without these two gods noticing.

The Saurians seemed to have taken it all this in the most. The gods' gruesome fight for territory obliterated most of their forests, and eventually their homes. Many hatchlings died due to this struggle, and the remaining survivors either fled or were killed in the cataclysm. Most of the matriarchs were killed as well. Without their own leader, many groups of Saurians joined together to flee from this madness, and things seemed to have an interesting turn.

It seemed that lord Shinnok was leaving wormholes on the ground to suck in the sole in the earth's crust, consuming everything they can to shape it in the god's image. This served as a perfect advantage for the raptors to take refuge, as it was also a transport to a different world, though it sounded risky. After a quick decision, the remaining survivors jumped into one available portal and escaped from the growing devastation of their world.

They believed they lost everything; their civilization, their culture, and their amazing way of life. They thought they would eventually die off after being mortally wounded from the gods' endless battle. But it was through the portal they found that they would eventually rejoice their new survival.

After finding themselves in a wet, swampy, and plentiful forest, they slowly knew they had a new place to call home; Zaterra, or "New Earth." They thrived in this place just like they did in Earthrealm. They had food and shelter, and their young can enjoy the wet and sometimes shiny environment. Everything seemed perfect for a while.

* * *

The Zaterrans also had a new way to protect themselves; back in Earthrealm, they developed their own martial arts, which were probably something they inherited from the magic of their creator, Shang Tsung. They invented the Crab and Kirehashi which would later be learned by human monks.

They still had a matriarch, who was slowly healing from the wounds of Earthrealm's devastation. She was too weak to mate or care for any young, so she was in constant care by her servants. It was logical that she will not stay awake for long, and the rest of her kind was in turmoil of protection, with no military, only her people to come to her aid. But the effects of the Saurians' refuge to Zaterra were even stranger.

Apparently, Shang Tsung's sorcery on his experiments had an extreme side effect on the Saurians. They developed they ability to spit saliva composed of corrosive fluids, which later proved to easily burn through solid objects. They also began to camouflage almost invisibly, which they believed was a way to blend in with the environment. The biggest side effect was the ability to look human, altering their appearances entirely, which results in their devolution; their longer they are separated from one another, the likely they will lose their human appearances and revert back to their raptor forms. The devolution process also changed their biology into repulsive, scaly, and cold-blooded creatures, which no one really enjoyed.

Aside from slowly settling in their new home and discovering their further mutation, they were sill happy to be alive and thriving again in a new environment for the time being. But this, unfortunately, will not last for very long.

A few decades later, the realm known as Outworld, led by its emperor Shao Kahn, came to merge with Zaterra like many other realms before it, taking its toll on the remaining population of raptors, which they thought would eventually come. Driven nearly extinct, with no home and no society, the remaining few raptors were either killed or put into servitude for Outworld. Leaving many to believe that no other raptor could've survived, but this was later not true.

* * *

As perhaps the sole survivor of this outcome, Reptile fights to revive the very thing he grew up with, believing extinction was something his kind didn't deserve. Whether he knows this or not, there are others who are doing the same thing; Khameleon knows exactly how her and Reptile's people were destroyed, and vows revenge on Shao Kahn for this. These few mutated and corrupted Saurians only hope for the best to save raptorkind by any means necessary, whether through Mortal Kombat or Armageddon, their will stop at nothing to do so. The legacy of these creatures depends on it.


End file.
